1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to beacon managing methods, and more specifically, to beacon managing methods for processing beacon signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A beacon is a device that transmits beacon signals at predetermined time intervals based on various communication schemes (e.g., Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, ANT®, etc.). A terminal receives a beacon signal from the beacon, often to display information related to a region in which the beacon is located, e.g., to provide an advertisement service. Accordingly, beacon-related technologies are gaining popularity.
Further, beacons reduce infrastructure costs and provide a wide effective distance, as compared with Near Field Communication (NFC)®, and present more applicability.
Generally, a signal transmitted from a beacon has an effective range of 5 cm to 50 m, and a terminal may receive data when passing near the beacon. Accordingly, beacons, by such nature, have various applications, such as for providing advertisements in department stores, showcases in exhibition halls, or seat guidance/advertisement in stadiums.
Topographical information on an area in which a beacon has been installed may be managed by a server. A beacon is often manufactured in a small size, and thus, may be freely moved. However, because a beacon may be easily moved, beacons are often moved without updating the topographical information. Consequently, a beacon may provide information that is not relevant to its actual position.
Similar problems can occur even when a beacon is not moved, but a topology change occurs, like when departments in a department store are rearranged, without properly updating the topographical information.